The Journal - Metro Transithttp://www.journalmpls.com/tag-topics/metro-transit
enMaking a better bus stop signhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news/green-digest/making-a-better-bus-stop-sign
<div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Dylan Thomas</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Metro Transit plans for more informative signage; plus, an environmental town hall in Linden Hills</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>When it comes to bus stop signage, the Twin Cities doesn’t compare well to other major metropolitan areas.</p>
<p>That begins to change this winter when Metro Transit tests new signs in parts of North Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park that give transit users much more information, including which routes serve a stop and where those buses go. Depending on the results of the pilot, the rest of the city could see improved bus stop signage late next summer, said Laura Matson, transit information services coordinator for Metro Transit.</p>
<p>“The goal is to better serve our customers on a baseline level,” Matson said. “We had heard some feedback that customers get lost and confused (or) don’t know which buses stop where.”</p>
<p>Most Metro Transit bus stops are marked with a sign that simply reads “Bus Stop.” Except for stops along high-frequency transit corridors, most signs don’t even list which routes serve that particular location.</p>
<p>When Matson started looking into potential improvements for bus stop signage a year ago, she found Metro Transit’s were about as basic as they get.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, we provide the least amount of information,” she said. “Atlanta is the only other transit provider on the scale of Metro Transit that doesn’t at least indicate which routes serve a particular stop.”</p>
<p>The new signs will include Metro Transit’s phone number and website, both of which can be used to access NexTrip, its automated schedule information system. They’ll also be labeled with that particular stop’s six-digit identification number and stickers that indicate which routes pick up passengers at that location.</p>
<p>That’s the minimum Metro Transit has planned for it’s low-usage bus stops. Those with higher boarding rates will also get simplified route maps that highlight major destinations and a chart showing the approximate frequency of bus service for different times of day and days of the week.</p>
<p><em>(Below, proposed signage for low-boarding (left) and high-boarding (right) bus stops. Submitted images)</em></p>
<p><em><img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/10/31/2014/BusStop-Tier1-updated.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="480" class="inline_image" /><img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/10/31/2014/BusStop-Tier2-updated.jpg" alt="" width="168" height="480" class="inline_image" /></em></p>
<p>Matson said the agency hadn’t yet determined how many daily boardings a stop will require for the more detailed signage, but the majority of bus stops in Minneapolis and St. Paul will probably qualify.</p>
<p>The new, pared-down route maps Metro Transit is testing take up less space, so they’ll be included at more bus shelters in the future, too. Most shelters include more detailed route schedules already, but few include maps, especially if they’re stops on multiple bus routes.</p>
<p>Matson said the new signs would go up in December at about 110 stops, including those on Lyndale Avenue North and 44th Avenue North.</p>
<p>“Part of what we’re testing is using a new material,” she said. “The route numbers are going to be vinyl adhesive on metal plates, which is something we’ve never done before.”</p>
<p>Using stickers for the route numbers means that, in the case of a route change, only the adhesive labels need to be replaced, not the entire sign. That same system works well in other cities, but Metro Transit wants to make sure the stickers can stand up to a Minnesota winter, Matson said.</p>
<p>Asked about the budget for the sign improvements, Matson said that was still being finalized in October. All of the information planned for the new signage takes up more real estate on sign poles, and if that means buying and installing new poles it’s going to drive up the cost of the project.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting, too, that some bus stops already have improved signage, thanks to what might be termed an act of “guerilla urbanism.”</p>
<p>A group calling itself Twin Cities Urbanizing Politely recently began posting stickers on some bus stop poles with information on route numbers and fares. They’ve been spotted in Uptown at stops on the 2 and 4 routes, among other places.</p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><strong>Environment is town hall topic</strong></p>
<p>LINDEN HILLS — Linden Hills Neighborhood Council has invited several of the neighborhood’s local elected officials to an environmental town hall meeting Nov. 13.</p>
<p>Scheduled guest speakers include state Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL–61A), Hennepin County District 3 Commissioner Marion Green and Ward 13 City Council Member Linea Palmisano. Topics could include climate change, renewable energy, waste reduction, public transportation, storm water management or anything else attendees want to bring up, said Diana Neidecker, a member of the LHNC environment and sustainability committee.</p>
<p>“Those are things that we focus on and are important to us as a neighborhood,” she said.</p>
<p>Neidecker said the town hall was intended to be a “low-key” gathering that will give the local officials a chance to update the public on environmental initiatives they’ve been working on and for neighbors to share what’s on their minds. If you show up and want to talk about bike lanes, that’s fine, she said.</p>
<p>The town hall runs 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m. at the Linden Hills Recreation Center, 3100 W. 43rd St. Snacks will be provided.</p>
</div></div></div>Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:17:20 +0000Dylan Thomas23927 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news/green-digest/making-a-better-bus-stop-sign#commentsThe story behind the stationshttp://www.journalmpls.com/news/news/the-story-behind-the-stations
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Bjorn Saterbak</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Metro Transit and MPR create audio tours of Green Line public art</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>If you’re a user of the Green Line, you can now experience a dimension of public art at new light-rail stations with Sound Point, an interactive audio tour offered by Metro Transit and Minnesota Public Radio.</p>
<p>MPR Sound Point Producer Jeff Jones said this partnership between Metro Transit and Green Line allows customers to learn about public art directly from artists.</p>
<p>“MPR knows how to tell stories with sounds, and now mobile devices let us share stories about a place with listeners who are standing right there,” Jones said in a statement Monday.</p>
<p>Each of the new 18 Green Line stations, from Union Depot station in Lowertown St. Paul to the West Bank station on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota, features a public art representative of its surrounding community. Riders can listen to the stories behind the artworks through first-person recorded interviews with the artists.</p>
<p>The interview recordings can be accessed by mobile devices via texting a short code or scanning a QR code printed on posters at each station. They are also available to listen to online through the Green Line station pages.</p>
<p>“There are millions of stories related to the neighborhoods served by Green Line,” said Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb.</p>
<p>Sound Point, however, has yet to catch on with some Green Line riders at the Nicollet Mall station.</p>
<p>Green Line rider Amelia Odens has not listened to the tour, but said it might be interesting to learn more about the places in the Twin Cities, including the history of University Avenue.</p>
<p>“It might be interesting to do it some afternoon,” Odens said. “I don’t think I would do it on my way to work, but it could be fun.”</p>
<p>Julie Hervas, who works in Downtown St. Paul, said she probably would not use it because she’s familiar with the Twin Cities area, but said it is a good idea.</p>
<p>In addition to Sound Point, posters at each station have photos and descriptions of the surrounding neighborhood. The content was developed in collaboration with neighborhood groups from each station area to provide riders with additional history and information about communities.</p>
<p>Metro Transit and MPR previously collaborated on a Sound Point tour of the <a href="http://listenhere.wirenode.mobi/page/488" target="_blank">Northstar commuter rail line</a> that runs from Target Field to Big Lake, Minnesota. Other Sound Point locations in Minnesota include the Enger Tower in Duluth and public art and murals in Minneapolis.</p>
<p>Click <a href="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/154322740&amp;amp;auto_play=false&amp;amp;hide_related=false&amp;amp;show_comments=true&amp;amp;show_user=true&amp;amp;show_reposts=false&amp;amp;visual=true">here</a> to listen to an audio tour of public art on the West Bank narrated by artist Nancy Blum.</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:31:24 +0000Dylan Thomas23225 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news/news/the-story-behind-the-stations#commentsNE neighbors brace for Central Ave closure this summerhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/ne-neighbors-brace-for-central-ave-closure-this-summer
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ben Johnson</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">A bridge reconstruction project will close Central to through traffic for at least five months</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>LOGAN PARK – Starting May 19 – the day after Art-A-Whirl ends – a chunk of Central Avenue NE will be closed to through traffic until late fall due to a railroad bridge reconstruction project.</p>
<p>Businesses on Central within a mile-long stretch between Broadway Street and Lowry Avenue are stressing that the road will remain open to cars, bikes and pedestrians right up to the bridge.</p>
<p>“It’s like a cul-de-sac, essentially,” said Ward 1 City Council Member Kevin Reich. “People will still be able to access businesses near the bridge on either side, they will just have to exit the same way they came in.”</p>
<p>The bridge cuts diagonally across Central between 14<sup>th</sup> and 18<sup>th</sup> Avenue, and the $14 million project is being paid for by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).</p>
<p>A panel of representatives from MnDOT, Metro Transit and the city of Minneapolis presented the final Central Avenue bridge reconstruction plan and fielded questions from concerned neighbors at the Logan Park community center on April 16.</p>
<p>The project will either be complete by November 15, or if not enough progress is made over the summer, Central will be partially reopened with one lane travelling in each direction on October 19, and the work will be completed the following spring.</p>
<p>Representatives from MnDOT said that they will know by mid-summer which track construction will take.</p>
<p><strong>Vehicle, bus, bike and pedestrian detours</strong></p>
<p>MnDOT’s official detour sends northbound vehicles travelling on Central east on Broadway over to Johnson Street, where cars will travel north until they can head back to Central on Lowry. Southbound traffic will be diverted west on Lowry over to University Avenue, and then back to Central on Broadway.</p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/images/articles/04/17/2014/Screen%20Shot%202014-04-17%20at%205.11.21%20PM.png" alt="" width="630" height="470" class="image-large inline_image" /></p>
<p><em>Image courtesy of MnDOT</em></p>
<p>Ron Rauchle, an engineer with MnDOT, acknowledged that the detour could be shorter, but MnDOT policy states that traffic from a major artery like Central needs to be detoured through roads that have similar capacity.</p>
<p>“We can’t detour onto city streets, we have to detour onto major roadways and so we picked the closest major roadways,” said Rauchle.</p>
<p>Rauchle added that statistics show roughly 60 percent of vehicles follow posted detour routes, 20 percent find a shortcut, and another 20 percent avoid the route altogether.</p>
<p>Some people raised concerns about increased traffic flowing through surrounding neighborhood streets from people taking shortcuts around the bridge. In response, city staff pledged to put up signage, including radar speed signs, in affected areas.</p>
<p>Bus routes on Central will shift over to Fillmore Street between Broadway to 18 ½ Avenue. There will be no stops on Fillmore, so after stopping at Spring Street and Central the next stop won’t be until 18½ and Central.</p>
<p>The pedestrian and biking detour travels west on 14<sup>th</sup> Ave., north past the Northrup King building and along railroad tracks until 18<sup>th</sup> Ave., where it heads back to Central. A temporary trail with fencing, lighting and new paving will be constructed to accommodate bikers and walkers.</p>
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<p><em>Image courtesy of MnDOT</em></p>
<p><strong>Businesses concerned</strong></p>
<p>Diamonds Coffee Shoppe owner Lucy Bacon seemed resigned to decreased sales this summer due to the bridge reconstruction.</p>
<p>“Well I’m not happy, but it’s kind of inevitable, there’s nothing much I can do now,” said Bacon. Her coffee shop lies about 100 yards north of the bridge.</p>
<p>She added: “Most of our business is from people who live in the neighborhood, and I don’t think we’ll lose them, as long as they know they can still get to us. What we’ll lose is the drive-by traffic in the morning.”</p>
<p>Diamonds will probably cut hours this summer and may try to ramp up lunch delivery service to stay afloat during the construction.</p>
<p>Across the street from Diamonds, Josh Cragun from Nimbus Theatre said he would’ve preferred Central staying partially open for a two-year reconstruction schedule, which was an initial option presented by MnDOT.</p>
<p>He said he’s most concerned about patrons making it to shows on time rather than a significant drop in business, and that Nimbus is lucky because summer business is typically much slower than winter.</p>
<p>Cragun is part of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/centralaveclosurecommittee">Central Avenue Closure Committee</a>, a group of affected business owners that meets every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. to discuss ways to combat the project’s effect.</p>
<p>The committee is working with Council Member Reich’s office to apply for grants to get additional, specific signage letting people know businesses are still accessible and open.</p>
<p>When the new bridge is finished it will be 19 inches taller and the space underneath it will be 28 feet wider, with a bike lane and better sidewalks. The middle pier will be gone, but the dip in the road will remain to maintain clearance for street cars, if they eventually make it down Central.</p>
<p>According to Reich, neighborhood leaders chose the bridge’s traditional, classic design over a competing design that was flashier. However, there is a 41-foot-long strip on both sides of the bridge reserved for a future local art installation.</p>
<p>Ben Johnson // 612-436-5088 // <a href="mailto:%20bjohnson@journalmpls.com">bjohnson@journalmpls.com</a> // <a href="http://www.twitter.com/johnsonbend">@johnsonbend</a></p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 17 Apr 2014 22:22:41 +0000Ben Johnson22766 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/ne-neighbors-brace-for-central-ave-closure-this-summer#commentsTransit use up in 2012http://www.journalmpls.com/news/news/transit-use-up-in-2012
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<span class="field-slideshow-caption-text">Bus ridership remained flat on local routes, but rose on express and suburban routes in 2012.</span>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Dylan Thomas</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">More than 81 million rides logged in third straight year of growth for Metro Transit</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>More than 81 million individual trips were logged on Metro Transit’s buses and trains in 2012, a high point not hit in roughly 30 years.</p>
<p>Metro Transit use was up 165,044 rides in 2012, a 0.2-percent increase over 2011. It was the third straight year of increased ridership numbers for the transit system, said Metro Transit spokesman John Siqveland.</p>
<p>“Early ’80s is the last time we exceeded 81 million,” Siqveland said.</p>
<p>Light rail transit use also hit a record high of nearly 10.5 million rides in 2012, the most since the Hiawatha Light Rail line opened in 2004.</p>
<p>That was despite a weeklong interruption in service in February when two cables snapped on the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge over Highway 55. Light rail service was halted while crews installed temporary bridge supports.</p>
<p>Higher use of Metro Transit’s suburban and express routes drove a small increase in bus ridership, which in 2012 was up just 0.1 percent over the previous year. There was little change in ridership on local routes in the St. Paul and Minneapolis urban core but suburban routes logged 6.4 percent more rides and express routes 0.9 percent more rides than 2011.</p>
<p>In total, Metro Transit recorded nearly 69.9 million individual bus rides, including about 58.7 million on urban routes, 1.7 million on suburban routes and 9.5 million on express routes.</p>
<p>Northstart Commuter Rail carried fewer passengers in 2012, with ridership dropping 0.45 percent to just over 700,000 trips. While weekday ridership was up, use of the commuter rail for trips to special events in Minneapolis dropped last year, Metro Transit reported.</p>
<p>Siqveland said two factors were driving increased transit use in the metro area.</p>
<p>One was light rail, which Metro Transit officials credit for bringing new riders into the system. The other was improved technology, like the ability to get real-time bus arrival information on smart phones.</p>
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</div></div></div>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:46:33 +0000Dylan Thomas19650 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news/news/transit-use-up-in-2012#commentsNew contract gives bus drivers first raise since 2009http://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/bus-drivers-voting-on-contract-that-includes-first-pay-raise-since-2009
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Nick Halter</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Metro Transit&#039;s 2,300 workers will get 2 percent annual increases, avoiding any concern over a strike </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Metro Transit workers on Jan.7 approved a new contract that will give them their first raise since 2009 and will also put to ease any rider anxiety over a possible strike.</p>
<p>The contract, which gives 2 percent annual general wage increases over the next three years, was approved with 92 percent of the Amalgmated Transit Union 1005 vote.</p>
<p>That union represents 2,300 drivers, mechanics and support staff.</p>
<p>The Metropolitan Council called the contact its “best and final offer,” but union officials insisted that even if it had been rejected, a strike was not imminent.</p>
<p>“People appreciate where everything is with the economy and we did get an overall raise and the healthcare plan remained the same, which is important to a lot of members,” said Michelle Sommers, president of the union.</p>
<p>The Met Council still needs to approve the contract, and a vote is scheduled for January.</p>
<p>The union and the Met Council had been negotiating a new contract since the last one ended in July. The previous contract included a wage freeze, and workers hadn’t received an increase since September 2009.</p>
<p>Metro Transit workers last went on strike in 2004 for six weeks. No buses operated during that time.</p>
<p>Starting pay for a bus driver is $16.93 an hour and can increase to a top wage of $24.19 an hour, said John Siqveland, Metro Transit’s public relations manager. </p>
</div></div></div>Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:53:05 +0000Nick Halter19597 at http://www.journalmpls.comhttp://www.journalmpls.com/news-feed/bus-drivers-voting-on-contract-that-includes-first-pay-raise-since-2009#comments